# Accident 20000708041269A: Piper PA32300, Fitchburg, MA, July 8, 2000

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 8, 2000, 10:00 local time
- Place: Fitchburg, MA
- Airport: Fitchburg Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Roll-Out (Fixed Wing)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.5538° N, 71.7592° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at FITCHBURG MUNI (FIT), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.5538&lon=-71.7592&mi=10
- Aircraft: N21072, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N21072-2004-09-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-32-300 (registry code 7103212, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32-300) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA32300
- Reported engine: LYC IO540K1G5
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 150 total, 40 in this make and model, 50 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD00LA060](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD00LA060) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000708041269A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(.4) BEFORE ENTERING THE AIRPORT'S TRAFFIC PATTERN, THE PILOT TUNED INTO THE AIRPORT'S ASOS AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE WINDS WERE FAVORING RUNWAY 02. THE PILOT OBSERVED TRAFFIC IN THE PATTERN UTILIZING RUNWAY 32, AND MADE A 45 DEGREE ENTRY TO THE DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 32. HE FLEW A NORMAL TRAFFIC PATTERN AND SET UP FOR A CROSSWIND LANDING. ON THE LANDING ROLL-OUT, THE AIRPLANE DRIFTED TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE, THEN VEERED RIGHT, AND EXITED THE RUNWAY ONTO THE GRASS. THE NOSE GEAR THEN SHEERED OFF THE AIRPLANE, WHICH RESULTED IN DAMAGE TO THE FIREWALL AND PROPELLER. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS. THE AIRPORT'S REPORTED WINDS WERE FROM 020 DEGREES AT 12 KNOTS. (-23) AS STATED BY THE PILOT, WHILE LANDING AT FITCHBURG MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (FIT) RUNWAY 32 WITH A CROSSWIND, ON APPROACH THE AIRCRAFT DRIFTED LEFT, USING RUDDER INPUT THE PILOT CORRECTED BACK TO THE RIGHT. AFTER TOUCH DOWN THE AIRCRAFT VEERED OFF TO THE RIGHT. WHILE STILL TRYING TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THE AIRCRAFT USING RUDDER INPUT, THE PILOT NOTED THE AIRCRAFT WAS ABOUT TO LEAVE THE PAVED RUNWAY AND SHUT DOWN THE ENGINE. AFTER THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A                             FULL STOP THE NOSE GEAR WAS FOUND TO BE COCKED FULL RIGHT AND SEPARATED FROM THE STRUT, UNDER THE AIRCRAFT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB IAD00LA060](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD00LA060), Jul 8, 2000: Piper PA-32-300 (N21072), Fitchburg, MA, substantial damage. Probable cause: pilot's inadequate compensation for the crosswind. A factor was the crosswind.

## Other reports on N21072 (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20040601011219A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040601011219A), Jun 1, 2004: Piper PA32300 (N21072), Leominster, MA, Destroyed, 2 fatal. (-23) On June 1, 2004, about 2130 EDT, a Piper PA-32-300, N21072, was destroyed when it impacted terrain in Leominster, MA during a GPS approach to runway 32…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.